The utility of point-of-care urinary lipoarabinomannan testing for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in critically ill patients: a prospective observational study.

Background: Tuberculosis is a major global public health concern. Patients with tuberculosis who require critical care have a high mortality and delay in initiating antituberculous therapy is associated with increased mortality. Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) is a lipopolysaccharide found in the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Hyperlactataemia with acute kidney injury following community assault: cause or effect?

Background: Crush injury is a common presenting clinical problem in South African trauma patients, causing acute kidney injury (AKI). It has been theorised previously that the AKI was not due to an anaerobic phenomenon. A previous local study noted the presence of a mild hyperlactataemia among patients with crush syndrome, but the significance and causes of this was not fully explored.

Acute Kidney Injury on Presentation to a Major Trauma Service is Associated with Poor Outcomes.

Background: This study sought to describe the burden of disease of acute kidney injury (AKI) among adult South African trauma patients who presented to a tertiary level trauma service.

Methods: The trauma database was interrogated for the period from December 2012 to July 2017. All patients over the age of 18 y, who were admitted following trauma, were included.

Hyperchloraemia is associated with acute kidney injury and mortality in the critically ill: A retrospective observational study in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether serum chloride and changes in serum chloride over time were associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) or intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in a heterogenous critically ill population.

Materials And Methods: The study was a retrospective observational study of 250 adult patients admitted to a multidisciplinary academic ICU. Serum chloride within 48 h of admission, changes in chloride, and other biochemical and clinical parameters were evaluated as predictors of AKI and mortality.

Serum procalcitonin levels predict acute kidney injury in critically ill patients.

Aim: To determine whether admission procalcitonin (PCT) was associated with the subsequent development of acute kidney injury (AKI) in a general population of critically ill patients.

Methods: The study was a retrospective observational study conducted in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit (ICU) over a period of 1 year. Adult patients who had a PCT performed on admission and who did not have chronic kidney disease (CKD) or AKI on admission, were evaluated for the development of AKI within the first week of ICU admission, according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria.

Critical care admission of South African (SA) surgical patients: Results of the SA Surgical Outcomes Study.

Background: Appropriate critical care admissions are an important component of surgical care. However, there are few data describing postoperative critical care admission in resource-limited low- and middle-income countries.

Objective: To describe the demographics, organ failures, organ support and outcomes of non-cardiac surgical patients admitted to critical care units in South Africa (SA).

Hypoxaemia on arrival in a multidisciplinary intensive care unit.

Background: Transport of the critically ill patient poses the risk of numerous complications. Hypoxaemia is one such serious adverse event and is associated with potential morbidity and mortality. It is, however, potentially preventable.